


LionHeart

by unyieldingBanshee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk, Angst, Female Frisk, Gen, I guess this is an au?, I'm kinda changing the way the resets work?, Post-Neutral Route (Undertale), Post-No Mercy Route, Sans Has Issues, Suicidal Thoughts, True Pacifist Route never completed, hopefully it gets funny at some point, suicide/homicide discussed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unyieldingBanshee/pseuds/unyieldingBanshee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Resets are not true resets for Frisk. She ages despite them. Somewhere along the way, she lost control and now she just wants it to end.</p><p>And other Tales.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monster Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so.. not the most original title, I know.  
> But come on.  
> Of _Monsters_ and _Men_??  
>  “Howling ghosts, they reappear  
> in mountains that are stacked with fear”  
> ….  
> Shut up, I do what I want. 
> 
> But seriously though, I haven’t written anything in a _veeeeery_ long time. Like, I don’t remember when. And I definitely have never written fan fic for anyone to see. So criticism is welcome.
> 
> Also, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. The main story centers around trying to achieve the true ending, but there is probably going to be a few jumps to random character memories.

            A little known fact about Skeletons: Skeleton Monsters are not the same as Monster skeletons (for those Monsters that  _have_ skeletons). And they are definitely not the same as Human skeletons. While not soft and squishy in the way more fleshy creatures are, Skeleton Monsters are not made of the same hard, rigid bone as non-sentient, non-magical skeletons. Otherwise, basic movement would grind their bones and be horribly painful. The outer membrane of Skeleton bones flexes much like skin does, just with a little less give. Parts of the Skeleton skull around the eye sockets and teeth are especially malleable to allow movement such as blinking and speaking.

            This fact is little known because, for most of the Underground, Sans and Papyrus were the only Skeleton Monsters anyone had ever seen.

            Also, because scarcely anyone cared enough to ask.

            A disposition toward scientific curiosity was a rarity nowadays. Evident by how the number of Royal Scientists had dwindled. There was uneasiness in the stale air of the Underground. Many Monsters were reluctant to stray far from their families for luxuries such as education and ambition. Now, there was only Alphys.

            Of course, Sans had his own lab, but he was hardly a royal scientist. Alphys pestered him occasionally to apply to be her partner; they both knew King Asgore would give Sans the job in an instant. And every time, Sans joked that his laziness would get in her way.

            But Alphys knew he just couldn’t bear to leave Papyrus, and Papyrus wouldn’t dare leave his post in Snowdin. Sans was certain the King would assign Papyrus to a post in Hotland if asked ( _such a fuzzy pushover, that guy_ ), but Papyrus would be livid if he ever learned his promotion was the result of a  _favor_. As much as Papyrus boasted with certainty that he will one day be Captain of the Royal Guard, he was a Monster with integrity. His dream would only be fulfilled if achieved through hard work and dedication.

            And, though he would never admit it to Papyrus, Sans agreed with Commander Undyne that, if faced with an enemy, Papyrus was far too likely to let himself be ripped into tiny, smiley shreds. 

            With arms wide open too.

            So, for now, Sans was content lending Alphys an occasional hand. She always made sure to have enough in her budget to at least pay him as an assistant with he did.


	2. The Fallen Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the first few chapters are getting put up kind of fast.. and they aren't amazingly edited.

            Frisk was an Anomaly. Sans had called her that and nothing ever rang truer. The Resets had been happening for so long now. Sometimes everything was set back to long before the moment she fell. For Sans, this meant reliving his childhood. The further back he was sent, the easier it was for him to forget what he had lived through, forget what the future held. The same could not be said for Frisk. 

            Despite how far she was sent, she always awoke on top of Mt. Ebott, her body aging with the passing time. In the earlier Resets, she had been naïve, throwing herself back down, determined to save her friends. She did her best to resist Chara’s bloodlust, but she was never strong enough. At least one monster died every time. Sometimes most of them. Sometimes all of them. But always one. A couple of times, she got to the very end, all the way to the throne room and thought the demon was finally beaten. Only to blackout and awake across the barrier drenched in the King’s blood.

             As time went on, a hopelessness had set in. Her determination to keep going was waning. Now, each time she awoke, she ran. She tried any way she could think of to escape the pull of that mountain, of Chara. But, somehow, she always ended up in that bed of buttercups.

             At approximately 20-something ( _21? 22? 25? 19? How is someone supposed to tell with a life like this?.._ ), she was much older than when she first fell. She had made it to Snowdin, relieved no one had died yet. Toriel was safe ( _ish_ ). She had indulged in Papyrus’ puzzles. But she couldn’t shake the dread that Chara was just toying with her.

             She was so very tired.

             Frisk was in no hurry to find out who she would murder this time. She decided to just hang around Snowdin for as long as she could. Her procrastination usually resulted in Chara lashing out, but she pushed this from her mind for now.

             She had watched her friends die so many times now. _What’s one more?_

             She followed Papyrus back to his house for their ‘date’. Sans was sitting on the couch. He hid his wariness well. She hadn’t killed yet. But she couldn’t be trusted around Papyrus.

             Papyrus hardly noticed when she sat down next to Sans, rushing to the kitchen chattering away about how thrilled he was to serve a fellow “pasta lover” his famed, gourmet dish.

             Frisk wasn’t listening.

             Neither was Sans.


	3. The Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Begin the angst. An embarrassing amount of angst.
> 
> Excuse my emo bullshit. I don't know why this is the default setting for my brain sometimes. 
> 
>  
> 
> **Contemplation of Assisted Suicide in this chapter**

          Sans watched Frisk out of the corner of his eye. Papyrus in the kitchen and the tv on, there was plenty of noise to drown them out.

_She looks how I feel._

          When she was good, she was wonderful. But when she wasn’t…. This last time Papyrus had died, she waited. Chara had waited so Sans could see it. She had let him think he could save his brother.

          He watched his brother fall. He watched her kneel down before turning to face him. He watched in horror as she, with a hand full of dust, blew him a kiss. What he didn’t know was how much Frisk had wailed on the inside.

          Sans fixed his eyes on the screen. Despite how well this timeline was going, he could not look directly at her face for long. That face that had cackled and danced in his brother’s dust. He would have thought his nerves had steeled by now. But, despite how much Sans had lived through, he still passed out at the sight. 

“Sans…” Frisk’s voice cracked. He blinked. She was struggling to look up at his face.

          She pulled a leg up on the couch and turned her body to face him. She was shaking a little. He turned to face her too, his face blank save for his relentless smile.

  
“I’m…. I.. I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Sans.” She didn’t dare say sorry. Sorry would just be an insult at this point.

          Sans didn’t say anything. _Join the club, kid._

“I.. I feel so weak. I don’t know how much longer I can stay.. myself,” she struggled to find the right words, “I’m so tired, Sans. I know you are too..” 

          He waited for the point. 

“Maybe.. Maybe if you killed me.. And I was determined to stay dead instead of determined to live. Maybe that would work. If I....” her voice trailed off. 

          Sans face didn’t change. It was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard.

“I don’t think it works like that, kid.”

“I know it sounds dumb.” It was so hard for her to think straight. “I know it probably won’t work. But we could try.” She was starting to choke up. She spoke fast. “And if it doesn’t work then you kill me the moment you see me from now on, the moment I step through the ruins. You kill me until she gives up on my soul and lets me stay dead. And then you close that damn hole and make sure no kid ever falls down here again.”

          Frisk trembled more violently now. They just stared at each other. Papyrus was humming along to a commercial, still oblivious. 

“He’ll never be safe.” Sans’ eyes went dark. “You know it’s the only way to make sure he’s safe. I know it means trapping everyone down here forever, but isn’t that better than them dying? Than Pap…” 

          She couldn’t bring herself to say his name to Sans, and he couldn’t stand to hear her say it. He knew this Frisk. This wasn’t Chara. This was Frisk. Trying to give her life for the Underground. But it was still too raw. And this close to having witnessed the annihilation of Monsters was not leaving him with a strong sense of forgiveness.

          She glared at him with what she could muster. Her eyes glistened and the circles under them were dark. It was hard to believe this gaunt being in front of him used to be such an adorable child. Over the Resets, he’d watched her grow up. In some timelines, she worked tirelessly to help each and every monster in her path, to do penance for Chara’s sins. He loved her for that. In those timelines.

          But he couldn’t think about those timelines if he was going to do this.

“Ok, kid.” 

          Frisk let out a deep breath, partly out of relief, partly out of fear. 

          His one eye turned blue, and he waved a hand in front of her body as he gripped her soul. She shuddered and closed her eyes. Her head bowed like before a chopping block. Sans pictured the demon that killed everyone he ever loved. He pictured the countless times Papyrus’ head fell from his shoulders.

          Bones appeared. Not the ones he usually formed, these tapered to a sharp point. One pressed at the base of her skull, and one pressed at the center of her soul that now hovered in front of her chest. 

          He’ll make this quick for her. For Papyrus.

_Papyrus._

**CLATTER**. A metal dish hit the ground. Sauce flew everywhere.

“SANS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THAT IS OUR _HOUSE GUEST._ WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ON A—“    

“Paps, go back in the kitchen.”

          He didn’t want his brother to see him do this, but he wasn’t going to back out now.

“I WILL NOT. YOU LET HER GO AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF THIS INSTANT.” Papyrus stomped his foot.

“Papyrus..” Frisk spoke softly and shakily. She couldn’t stop the tears, but she did her best to look up at him and smile. Lifting her head caused the tip of the bone dagger to cut into her neck little. She felt the blood trickle down and around her throat, but she was going let Papyrus see her smile. Let him see it was alright.

“Your brother loves you very much. Everything’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be better.” Her head fell back down. She couldn’t look at him anymore as she felt her smile falter.

“EVERYTHING WILL _NOT_ BE OKAY. I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION—“

          Sans’ grip on the soul tightened out of frustration, and Frisk began to choke. Too stunned to keep shouting, Papyrus quieted. Realizing what he had done, Sans loosened his grip a little. He wasn’t going to torture the poor girl to death _._ At least, not while she was still herself. And if Frisk lost consciousness, the demon could come out.

“You ready, kid?”

          She slipped her hand into the hand that wasn’t controlling his magic and squeezed. Sans tried to block the pang of guilt that followed.

“I love you both…”

          She needed to say it. Even if Sans didn’t believe her, even though Papyrus had no idea who she was, she needed to say it out loud. She needed to focus on a reason to stay dead.

          Sans took a deep breath.

          Frisk felt her soul yanked forward. And everything went black.


	4. The Long Night

          It was dark. It was warm. It was hard to breathe. Muffled sounds were starting to reach her ears. Was that.. Mettaton?.. Frisk raised her head. She was cradled in Sans’ arms. His eyes were still closed and he was grimacing. The bone daggers had dissipated.

          She wasn’t dead. 

“Sans… why?!”

          His grip tightened but he still was not looking at her.

          His voice was slow, deliberate. “if I killed you as you are now.. this.. child trying to do something good..” He swallowed and opened his eyes.

“i’d be no better than that demon.”

          He was looking at his brother who still had no idea what was going on. Papyrus stood still in a slight state of shock, but had relaxed some, as it appeared no one would be dying on his couch tonight.

“But—“ Sans’ held her head against him to quiet her. Frisk buried her face in his jacket and sobbed. She felt so hopeless. His kindness was too much. After all she’d done to him.

           Still holding her, Sans stood up. It was a good thing she wasn’t too much taller than him or her feet would be dragging across the floor. He carried her upstairs and into his room. With a blink, the clothes on his bed went flying across the room and the blankets hovered in the air. He laid her down and tucked the covers in around her.

“rest here, kid. Paps will bring you food when you wake up. just.. rest for now.”

           She nodded silently. She looked so small and frightened. He shut the door and she was asleep before he made it back down the stairs. He faced a flabbergasted Papyrus who was readying a slew of questions. But he didn’t ask them as Sans’ arms were thrown around his waist. Papyrus knelt down and hugged his weeping brother.

_what are we going to do now?_

* * *

 

           There’s nothing more exhausting than emotions. Sans sank into the couch willing his body to meld with it. He was torn between his body’s aching need to sleep and his unwillingness to lose consciousness while that thing was in his house, near his brother. If Papyrus weren’t there, he’d be willing to risk dying…

           No. That wasn't not true. A reset might bring the demon back. At least this Frisk was apologetic.

           He heard shuffling and the click of a door shutting. Papyrus had gone to leave a dinner plate in the middle of Sans’ room for Frisk. Papyrus was thoughtful through and through. Sans loved his brother.

           He knew what he had said. But he truly considered whether or not he should kill Frisk in her sleep. Follow through with the plan. Was his earlier hesitation truly a crisis of conscience or did he just chicken out of brutally murdering someone in front of his kid brother?

           It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered it before. In fits of rage, there had been quite a few times he thought he might kill Frisk the second she stepped into his sight… He’d always chickened out. He didn’t need to give the kid any more reason to kill than she already had. Whatever the hell reason that was..

           But that wasn’t just it. As bad as the situation was, it could always be worse. 

           All Monsters knew how Violence worked, to some extent. A Level of Violence detached a person from the world around them, but one LV wouldn’t change someone that much. What Sans didn’t know, what he was afraid of, was if it created a compulsion. Maybe after he killed Frisk, he’d need to kill again. The times he faced her in the Hall of Judgement, he had been pushed past the point of caring. So what if he became a killer afterward? There’d be no one left to kill. But if he killed her first.. what would he become? Or worse, what if he became infected? He didn’t know quite what Chara’s soul was made of, but he knew having survived this long, it was persistent at best. Sans wasn’t a boss monster, but he still had more power than most people knew. It wouldn’t do for Chara to get ahold of his soul.

           Papyrus was back downstairs, wavering between wanting to clean the dishes and wondering what to do about his brother. His brother who looked a decade older in the shadow of the couch. He still couldn’t comprehend what had gone on between Sans and the Human. But it occurred to him that now was not the time for questions. He opted to let the dishes stay in the sink for the night, planning to do them with the breakfast dishes in the morning. He gingerly sat next to Sans whose eyes had not left the television for at least 10 minutes. Though Papyrus suspected nothing happening on the screen was reaching Sans.

           Papyrus tilted his head to the side, leaning lightly on his elder brother. Sans closed his eyes and remembered to breathe. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath.

           They sat like that until whatever program was playing had ended. Papyrus stood, “PERHAPS I SHOULD LEAVE YOU TO GET SOME SLEEP..” nervous to leave his brother alone, but wanting to sleep this whole dreadful evening away. Morning would be better. In the morning they would all laugh off this weird little joke Sans and the Human had concocted that had just misfired a bit. Leave it to Sans to let his humor get a little out of hand. That must be what happened..

“not a bad idea, bro.”

           After Papyrus was gone, Sans grabbed the couch cushions and carried them upstairs. He prepared a makeshift bed right in front of the door inside his room. If something did happen, whatever woke up, he would be the first to know about it. Knowing he was the barrier between her and his brother, he allowed himself to fall asleep.

            His nightmare started out the same. He was mid fight in the Hall of Judgment. His opponent stepped forward, not falling for the offer of “mercy”. But, as Sans readied his next attack, the demon stumbled grasping its head. It seemed to be in the midst of an inner struggle. No longer focused on Sans, it groaned and yelled at itself. Wrenching its body to and fro, as if several minds were battling for control.

            Seizing the chance, Sans unleashed his fury, surrounding it with blasters, their electric attacks striking in succession. His perception changed to each one in turn, feeling as if the pulses of energy were coming from his mouth. From every angle, he watched the body float upward, writhing, mouth foaming. 

            The scene was oddly silent, until it wasn’t. Shrieks surrounded him but they were not coming from the child..

 **THUNK**. He awoke with a start. Papyrus had barged into the room, opening the door on Sans’ head. Dazed for a second, his muddled mind quickly cleared as he realized the screams hadn’t stopped with the nightmare. A haze of blue energy, his magic, had filled the room. And it was attacking Frisk. 

             Well, ‘attack’ wasn’t quite right.

             Frisk wasn’t so much screaming as she was yelling in frustration. Sure, she had been scared when the she woke up to static electricity crawling over her body that was being lifted up and spun wildly. But, from the few glances she caught, she realized Sans wasn’t doing this consciously. And the sparks were no more painful than shocks that might come from touching a metal doorknob after sliding across carpet. Her biggest concern had been waking him up before motion sickness set in, which would be very soon.

             Thank the stars, Papyrus arrived when he did.

             Sans jumped to his feet, held out his hands, and concentrated on pulling the magical energy back toward himself. As he absorbed the last of it, Frisk’s body hit the bed with a light thud. She shivered and looked to be unconscious until she lunged to the side, grabbed a trashcan that sat near Sans’ bed side table and promptly vomited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really know where to end this chapter, so sorry it's kind of abrupt.


End file.
